Although the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. appears to be in sight, the mental health consequences of the pandemic, as well as rising rates of antidepressant use in the past decade, reveal another public health crisis. Antidepressant use has skyrocketed since 1999, leading it to become one of the most popular types […]
Tag: medicine
Crispr and the Spectre of Eugenics
There are no more children with Down Syndrome in Iceland. At least, almost none. Depending on where you are in the world, and when in time, a certain explanation might come to mind. Were this the mid-20th century, or in several authoritarian regimes around the world, we might expect that this result was achieved through […]
What Gene-editing in China Reveals About Progress and Risk
On November 25, 2018, a Chinese researcher by the name of He Jiankui released a video of himself detailing the process through which he edited the genes of a set of twin girls. Against the backdrop of various scientific instruments and with a disarming smile, He reveals how his lab deleted the CCR5 gene in […]
Bleeding Us Dry
The Problem with Medical Price Gouging At 76 years old, Jacqueline Racener was diagnosed with leukemia. Once diagnosed, her doctor prescribed Imbruvica, a drug that had a very high chance of helping Ms. Racener beat her disease. Unfortunately, this Imbruvica would have cost Ms. Racener $8,000 a year – even though Medicaid was picking up […]
Tried and True? Obamacare and the Nationalization of American Policy
Until the winter of 1917, the hallmark of American government had been limited federal power. With the entrance of the United States into the first World War, President Woodrow Wilson shattered this standard with a single signature. In December 1917, he signed into action the Federal Possession and Control Act, effectively nationalizing the railroad industry […]
On Palliative Care in the United States
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to shadow an oncologist, a physician who treats cancer patients. From day one, he emphasized how much suffering there was in his profession, particularly in his specialty. It was sad to watch these patients agonize through chemotherapy and radiation therapy, as treatment regimens sapped their vitality. As […]
Nobels and Whistles in Beijing
Tu Youyou was labeled with “three noes”: no medical degree, no doctorate, and no work overseas. And yet, she became not only the first Chinese woman to win a Nobel Prize, but also the first Chinese citizen to earn a Nobel Prize in science. Tu was honored as one of 2015’s three Nobel laureates in […]
Ebola Ethics
Sporadically emerging from its natural reservoirs, the Ebola virus has recently captured global attention. Looming over West Africa, the Ebola pandemic has been transmitted and transported over national boundaries, now finding itself on U.S. soil. But the Ebola virus is not new; this disease was first noted in Zaire, the predecessor of the Democratic Republic […]
Cruel and Unusual
How many deaths is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration directly responsible for every year? This question may strike you as facetious. After all, it’s the FDA’s mission to protect and advance public health. The regulatory and enforcement powers granted to the FDA in the 1938 Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act were a result […]